A whale shark breaks the surface while waiting to capture plankton drifting in on the tide, in the Hanifaru Bay marine reserve.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

August 28, 2008

A whale shark breaks the surface while waiting to capture plankton drifting in on the tide, in the Hanifaru Bay marine reserve.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti
A whale shark swims in the light cast by a fishing boat at night. Plankton and small sardines are attracted by the light, which in turn draws whale sharks.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

January 3, 2009

Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti
A whale shark swims in the light cast by a fishing boat at night. Plankton and small sardines are attracted by the light, which in turn draws whale sharks.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti
Juvenile golden trevally follow a whale shark. Schools of young trevally frequently shadow whale sharks, as the presence of the larger fish protects them from predators.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

January 13, 2009

Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti
Juvenile golden trevally follow a whale shark. Schools of young trevally frequently shadow whale sharks, as the presence of the larger fish protects them from predators.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti
A whale shark’s mouth can extend to up to 1.5 meters wide, with between 300 and 350 rows of tiny teeth.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

January 3, 2009

Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti
A whale shark’s mouth can extend to up to 1.5 meters wide, with between 300 and 350 rows of tiny teeth.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti
A large group of whale sharks feeds in the Gulf of Tadjoura, off the coast of the Horn of Africa.
Although whale sharks are normally solitary creatures, large numbers are attracted to the Gulf of Tadjoura between November and February each year, when southwesterly winds churn the ocean. The swirling currents stimulate plankton blooms—rapid explosions of the plankton population, a whale shark’s chief diet.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

January 2, 2009

Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti
A large group of whale sharks feeds in the Gulf of Tadjoura, off the coast of the Horn of Africa.
Although whale sharks are normally solitary creatures, large numbers are attracted to the Gulf of Tadjoura between November and February each year, when southwesterly winds churn the ocean. The swirling currents stimulate plankton blooms—rapid explosions of the plankton population, a whale shark’s chief diet.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti
A school of pilot fish accompanies a whale shark, in the Gulf of Tadjoura.
Pilot fish are so named because it was once thought they piloted the sharks, in the way a smaller boat might guide a larger vessel. Instead, the pilot fish seek refuge from predators by swimming in close proximity to the whale shark.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

January 12, 2009

Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti
A school of pilot fish accompanies a whale shark, in the Gulf of Tadjoura.
Pilot fish are so named because it was once thought they piloted the sharks, in the way a smaller boat might guide a larger vessel. Instead, the pilot fish seek refuge from predators by swimming in close proximity to the whale shark.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti
Boat propellers present a great danger to slow-swimming whale sharks.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

January 13, 2009

Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti
Boat propellers present a great danger to slow-swimming whale sharks.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti
A whale shark scarred by a propeller strike swims in the Gulf of Tadjoura, off the coast of Djibouti.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
Whale sharks off the coast of Djibouti exhibit one of the highest rates of scarring in the world. This is largely due to the speeding boats of a multinational task-force involved in the fight against piracy in the region. Yet the presence of these boats also acts to the sharks’ advantage, in that it deters shark-fishing fleets from entering their habitat.

January 2, 2009

Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti
A whale shark scarred by a propeller strike swims in the Gulf of Tadjoura, off the coast of Djibouti.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
Whale sharks off the coast of Djibouti exhibit one of the highest rates of scarring in the world. This is largely due to the speeding boats of a multinational task-force involved in the fight against piracy in the region. Yet the presence of these boats also acts to the sharks’ advantage, in that it deters shark-fishing fleets from entering their habitat.

Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti
A plastic bag floats near a feeding whale shark.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

January 3, 2009

Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti
A plastic bag floats near a feeding whale shark.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

Hanifaru Bay, Maldives
Divers attempt to measure the length of a whale shark.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. An adult whale shark is, on average, nearly ten meters long, and can weigh up to 19 tonnes. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

August 28, 2008

Hanifaru Bay, Maldives
Divers attempt to measure the length of a whale shark.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. An adult whale shark is, on average, nearly ten meters long, and can weigh up to 19 tonnes. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

Hanifaru Bay, Maldives
Tourists observe a whale shark, in the Hanifaru Bay marine reserve.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

August 18, 2008

Hanifaru Bay, Maldives
Tourists observe a whale shark, in the Hanifaru Bay marine reserve.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti
Whale sharks swim in the Gulf of Tadjoura, off the Horn of Africa.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

January 11, 2009

Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti
Whale sharks swim in the Gulf of Tadjoura, off the Horn of Africa.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.
Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.
The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

Whale Sharks

Nature, third prize stories

August 28, 2008

A whale shark breaks the surface while waiting to capture plankton drifting in on the tide, in the Hanifaru Bay marine reserve.

Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are slow-moving, filter-feeding sharks found in tropical and warm oceans, and are the largest non-mammalian vertebrates on the planet. The species originated some 60 million years ago, and individuals normally have a lifespan of around 70 years.

Currently, however, whale sharks are listed as a vulnerable species. They come under particular threat from pollution and strikes by boat propellers, and are also hunted for their fins and flesh.

The sharks feed by drifting with their capacious mouths open, drawing in plankton, fish, and small crustaceans. Foreign objects, such as plastic, can also be drawn into the shark’s digestive system, causing harm.

Recommended

About the photographer

Thomas P. Peschak

Thomas P. Peschak is an assignment photographer for National Geographic Magazine, the director of conservation of Save our Seas Foundation (SOSF), and a senior fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers.

Originally trained as a marine biologist, he became an environmental photojournalist after realizing that he could have a greater impact with photography.

Thomas has written and photographed five books, with Sharks and People published in 2013. He won World Press Photo awards in 2011 and in 2013.

Interviews

An interview with award-winning photographer Thomas P. Peschak about his nature series documenting whale sharks.

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